The invention relates to lock arrangements in vending machines, and in particular, but not exclusively, a lock arrangement for a vending-machine T-bar closure device.
Vending machines, and especially those machines, usually quite large, which dispense cold drinks, conventionally employ a so-called T-bar for effecting closure of the machine. This device consists of a fairly long rod having a threaded portion at one end and a handle at the other, forming the xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d of the device. The xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d portion is slideably connected to the threaded portion and spring-loaded with respect thereto. This is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which a vending machine 10 is shown with its selection buttons 12 and coin changer 14, shown for illustrative purposes only, and in addition the T-bar 16 which passes through the outer door 18 and an inner, so-called xe2x80x9cvaultxe2x80x9d, door 20. When it is desired to close the machine, the threaded portion 22 is brought into engagement with a corresponding female member 24 attached to the body 26 of the machine and the handle 27 is turned until both the vault door 20 and the outer door 18 are tightly shut. (It is particularly important to ensure firm seating of the door surfaces in cold-drinks machines in view of the action of the cooling section 28 normally situated below the dispensing columns 30.) Once the doors are tightly closed, the xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d handle portion is pushed into a recess in the front door, whereupon a locking piece in the xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d portion springs up and holds the xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d portion in place until the next unlocking exercise.
Unlocking is conventionally done by means of a key inserted in a barrel lock 32 disposed inside a bore 34 of the T-bar at the handle end (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Slideably disposed inside the bore at right angles to the axis of the T-bar and protruding from the bore in the locked state is a locking piece 36 having an outer profile 38 which is angled to facilitate the pushing of the xe2x80x9cTxe2x80x9d portion into the machine-body recess, as already described. The locking piece 36 in the locked state is held behind a detent member (not shown) secured to the chassis or body 26 of the machine. The locking piece 36 is urged in its uppermost (xe2x80x9clockedxe2x80x9d) position by a spring 40, so that a force has to be applied in a downward direction to the locking piece in order to move it to its xe2x80x9cunlockedxe2x80x9d position. This is achieved by turning of the key in the lock 22 which operates a suitable mechanism (e.g. cam or levers, etc, 42) which acts on a shoulder 44 of the locking piece 36, forcing it downwards against the action of the spring.
Once the key is turned and the locking piece is thereby retracted into the bore 34 of the T-bar, the handle 26 is partially ejected by the spring 46, allowing the holder of the key to open the machine doors by unscrewing the T-bar.
A problem with this conventional system is, firstly, that the key which operates the lock is easily mislaid or lost, or even stolen. Consequently a machine may become subject to theft of its contents. A second problem is that vandals can abuse the machine by interfering with the lock mechanism, in particular by inserting foreign objects into the lock opening, thereby jamming it and preventing lawful opening of the machine. Clearly, such loss and abuse leads to undesirable replacement and repair costs for the operator of the machine. (It should be appreciated that not just the key, but the lock itself may have to be replaced in the interest of security).
There is a requirement for a solution to these problems. Ideally, any solution should be in the form of a retrofit to existing machines, and preferably an inexpensive retrofit, since the profit margin on goods sold via vending machines is already quite small.
According to the invention there is provided a vending machine lock arrangement, comprising a lock mechanism, a T-bar closure device and an electric motor, the lock mechanism being actuable by means of the electric motor and the lock mechanism and motor being functional in association with the closure device.
The motor in a first embodiment may be disposed within an internal bore of the T-bar at a hand-operated end thereof. The T-bar may comprise a locking piece disposed in the bore and slideable along a transverse axis through an opening in a wall of the T-bar, and the arrangement may comprise an actuation means connected to a shaft of the motor for the displacement of the locking piece. The actuation means may comprise a cam member which is engageable during at least part of its travel with the locking piece, advantageously in such a way as to cause the locking piece to be retracted into the bore. In this way use can be made of an existing locking piece and its existing mode of operation.
The motor may derive its power by way of a contact piece likewise slideably disposed in the bore transverse to a longitudinal axis thereof, the contact piece being urged to protrude through an opening in the T-bar wall for contact with a corresponding contact assembly external to the T-bar. Preferably the contact piece is constituted by a contact pin forming one pole of a voltage supply to the motor, the other pole being constituted by a chassis return of the T-bar. Advantageously the chassis return may be made by way of a securing element holding the motor in place inside the T-bar, and in particular by means of a grub screw.
The motor may be a motor commonly used as a film wind-on drive in cameras.
The locking piece may expediently be a locking piece as conventionally provided in T-bars and the opening through which the contact piece is urged may be an opening conventionally present in T-bars in the vicinity of the locking-piece opening.
The motor, cam and contact piece may be disposed inside a tubular insert dimensioned such as to form a push-fit inside the bore.
In an alternative embodiment of the lock arrangement, the motor may be mounted externally to the T-bar and may be adapted to bring a locking piece into engagement with an opening in the T-bar. A shaft of the motor may be attached to an actuation means for the displacement of the locking piece. The actuation means may comprise a cam member, which can be brought into engagement with the locking piece. The locking piece may be constituted by a rocker arm pivoted by pivot means secured to the vending machine chassis, one end of the arm being engageable with the cam member and the other end having an extension substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of the T-bar for engagement with the opening in the T-bar.
The motor is preferably caused to operate by means of an electrical signal generated in a card reader mounted in the vending machine, such generation occurring upon validation of a card inserted into the reader.
In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending-machine T-bar closure device, comprising a locking piece and, inside an internal bore of the device at a handle-end thereof, an electric motor for the actuation of the locking piece.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a vending machine comprises a card reader and a locking means connected to the reader and responsive thereto for performing a locking and/or unlocking operation on the machine, the card reader being arranged to write data to a smart card inserted, in use, into the reader, the data including data relating to access to the machine.
The reader may be arranged to transfer to the smart card at least some of the contents of a memory associated with the reader. The data which are transferred may relate to one or more of the following: the number of machine accesses made during a given period; the identity of the smart cards used to gain those accesses; the number of accesses refused by said reader; the identity of the smart cards to which access was refused; the identity of said machine; the times of day during which access is authorised, and the route on which the machine is situated.
Prior to writing access-related data to the card, the reader will preferably read authorisation-type data from the card in order to determine whether the card has the right to receive the access-related data.
In a fourth aspect of the invention, a data transfer system is provided comprising at least one vending machine as described above and a central administration point, wherein access data relating to the at least one vending machine are transferred to the central administration point by means of the smart card.